Features
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The Remarkable 1912 Pierce Single: A Motorcycle Kept in One Family for Over 100 Years
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Though it was mainly four-cylinder machines that the Pierce Motorcycle Company built, they made some quality singles too, as exemplified by this fabulous example. Simon Robinson reports… The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was established in 1901, but the motorcycle business was born from the earlier Pierce Cycle concern in 1908 when Percy Pierce took over…
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Yamaha XV1100 Virago test ride
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Take a look at one of Japan’s first, purpose-built, metric chop/cruisers: the Yamaha XV Virago family was mighty popular in its time, and the XV1100 Virago was the daddy of them all and people loved ’em.
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From the archive: Honda Dax ST70 – We all need a little smile!
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In 1969, the world was a hugely different place. The world was finally getting out of the grips of the Second World War and staring to move on to more rosy times. The culture reflected this, with the Easy Rider film, the ‘Stones, Led Zeppelin, Woodstock and watching the USA put a man on the…
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From The Classic Motorcycle Archives: Proving a Point – The ACU Heads West in 1919
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In 1919, the Auto Cycle Union sought to demonstrate that it was more than a London-centric organisation by holding a major gathering in Bristol. In this historical feature from The Classic Motorcycle, Simon Robinson explores the event, the motorcycles pictured beside Clifton Suspension Bridge and the notable visitors who attended. Simon Robinson reports… In 1919…
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Pa and His Pa: The Norton Founder, a 1921 Photograph and an Extraordinary Motorcycle Adventure
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Though always known as ‘Pa’ Norton, this picture shows the company founder with his own pa. Plus, some famous faces look on. Simon Robinson reports… The Norton motorcycle company sprang from the Norton Manufacturing Company, which was set up in 1869 by James Lansdowne Norton to manufacture bicycle chains. It was in 1902 that Norton…
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Wearwell: The Wolverhampton Motorcycle Pioneer Brought Down by Scandal
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From bicycle manufacturing to early motorcycles, Wearwell looked set to become a major name in the British motorcycle industry. But financial wrongdoing brought the company’s promising future to an abrupt end. Like so many, Wearwell started out as a bicycle manufacturer. The Cogent Cycle Co was founded by Henry Clarke and the business included his…
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Colin Edwards: 20 Years of Hurt – The MotoGP Victory That Got Away
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Colin Edwards came close to winning a MotoGP race two decades ago, but didn’t quite manage it… In fact, he was heartbreakingly close… Colin raced in MotoGP from 2003 through to 2014, when he retired halfway through the season. Bertie Simmonds reports… He raced for Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha. He would take 12 podiums in…
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Ken Craven’s 1966 American Adventure: A Triumph Thunderbird, the Wild West and a Black Widow Spider
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In 1966, veteran motorcycle traveller Ken Craven set off alone through the American West on a borrowed Triumph Thunderbird. His adventure took him across desert landscapes, over remote roads and into a Mexican hospital following an unexpected encounter. Once in a while we come across a story from way back that we feel is worth…
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The remarkable story of Joan Crawford’s Bond Minibyke – and its surprising history
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From a chance discovery in a remarkable private motorcycle collection to award-winning appearances at the Isle of Man TT, Joan Crawford’s much-loved Bond Minibyke has a fascinating story. In a letter published in Old Bike Mart, Joan shares how she acquired the little 125cc machine and uncovered its connections to the Bond manufacturing business. For…
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Hidden Gems: Kawasaki Z650
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Steve Cooper takes a look at the Kawasaki Z650, now rather overlooked but with a claim to being one of the best middleweight machines ever built. Most fans of Japanese classics will know the story of the Z1’s development, how Kawasaki was pipped at the post by Honda’s CB750 with its first four, but then…
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